A Minneapolis Family's Excellent Adventures in Bangalore, India and Beyond...

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Lunch at Vimala's...

A few months back our wonderful maid, Vimala was finally able to move into her "new" house. A very exciting time for her and her family as she had been working hard for over 10 years to make the property liveable. Additionally, they had built a holding tank for water, which enables them to have a water tanker deliver water to be used for bathing, washing and "using the facilities," rather than needing to carry water from afar. In honor of this, our entire family was invited for a Sunday lunch... We had a lovely time, but were very surprised to find ourselves seated at their small dining table being served course after course of home-cooked, delicious Indian food, while the rest of the family either waited until later to eat or ate, sitting on the floor in the next room. I told Vimala that before we left India I was going to cook and serve HER a meal!

Vimala carrying Owen on a walkway next to the house. Prasad, Vimala's nephew walks next to them. A neighborhood Rooster...

A family photograph with Vimala and her husband. Indian families often look quite stern in photographs! It's such a contrast to our typical American "Say Cheese!"

Owen at the gate!

Graycie and Owen with Vimala's children, Vikram and Indu. Owen wants to marry Indu and Vikram often comes to our house when Vimala babysits in the evening, where he is VERY tolerant of their constant plans to "trap Vikram"!!! Vimala and I are the same age...I can't imagine having a 15 and 18 year old!!!!!!!!!

Prasad...Owen was a bit confused to see him wearing clothes that he had outgrown...especially since Prasad is a few years OLDER! He liked the idea, though ;-)

An outer wall of the house.

Looking up from the gate...

Bob and Vikram saying hello, at the front door.

A veritable feast! Vimala and her sister are very good cooks... Note the Coca-Cola... We aren't big soda pop drinkers but you kind of can't say no when there are two bottles purchased specially for your visit!

Vimala in her new kitchen...

Owen's Puja...somehow he didn't light himself or anything else on fire, but it was close!

Owen waving incense in the Puja Room... If you look close you can see both Hindu deities and statues of Mary and the Christ child.

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"You're moving *where* ?"

Generally, people fall into two camps when it comes to a move across continents. Either they wish they could join you (and subsequently promise to visit) or they think you've lost your mind (and with kids tagging along that is especially true). What ever your thoughts, we invite you to join our family as we journey off to India in search of new career opportunities, travel adventures, the experience of living in a foreign culture and a (hopefully) better understanding of what it means to be a human being on our rapidly shrinking planet.